


Twenty Years To Discover

by lulublue1234



Series: Kim Taehyung Ship Collection [4]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Bromance, Childhood Friends, Emotions, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Humor, M/M, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-23 11:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4875325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulublue1234/pseuds/lulublue1234
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jimin learns early that his feelings for his besties are more than just friendship.<br/>It takes twenty years and for Jimin to go missing for Jungkook and Taehyung to understand their own feelings.</p><p>Or...</p><p>The Night Taehyung and Jungkook show up drunk to Jimin's house and confess (kinda).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twenty Years To Discover

** **

 

*****ARTWORK BY TAEYHNGS IT'S HER SOLE PROPERTY AND IS BEING USED WITH PERMISSION*****

*****DON'T REPOST*****

 

 

**AGES: 7 & 5**

“Run faster Jiminnie, we’re going to be late,” seven-year-old Taehyung yells at his friend.

“Late to what? We’re going to the playground, not school,” seven-year-old Jimin replies.

The two have been best friends since birth. Although Jimin is older by a few months, Taehyung runs the show.

“If we get there late, the younger kids will have taken up all the fun playground equipment,” Taehyung explains.

And Jimin admits the boy has a point.

Last week he had to ride the stupid bouncy bear thing because some obnoxious five-year-old would not share the jungle gym. Just thinking about it makes Jimin pout; he loves to climb.

“I sure hope that kid from last week isn’t there,” Jimin says as he catches up to his friend.

“You mean Kookie?” Taehyung asks.

“Kookie?” Jimin looks at his friend curiously.

“You know the kid who was on the jungle gym, he looks a bit like a rabbit,” Taehyung answers.

“Yeah, him, I hope he isn’t there. Hey, how do you know his name? Why would his parents name him Kookie?” Jimin asks as they round the corner, their destination a mere few feet away.

“His real name is Jungkook. He’s the son of the new neighbors,” Taehyung states. “My mom made me take over a jar of kimchi to them. Why do grown-ups do that, give new people food? Are they hungry?” Taehyung has all but forgotten about the five-year-old, his mind having moved on to his favorite topic - food.

“Dunno, my mom made me do that too when Namjoon hyung’s family moved here, ‘member?” Jimin scrunches his eyebrows together.

The boys happily chatter about what cool adults they’ll be, and how they’re going to give useful things to the neighbors like video games or Legos.

As the duo make their way into the park they're greeted by the sound of raised voices. It's not until they're on the playground that they register what's going on. A crowd of older boys are bullying a younger boy, taunting the child by calling him names. The youngster's face is messy with dirt and tear stains.

Jimin is the first to recognize the younger boy. It’s none other than Jungkook, and before Jimin can stop himself he is dragging Taehyung through the playground to defend the child. The younger boy may not be Jimin’s favorite, but no one deserves to be bullied.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jimin yells at the older boys who're harassing the child.

The ringleader is an eight-year-old named Chanyeol, and Jimin doesn’t like Chanyeol. The older boy had messed with Taehyung once; something Jimin put an immediate stop to.

Chanyeol’s eyes grow wide when he sees Jimin. They've an understanding; he doesn’t touch anyone Jimin likes, and the younger boy won’t beat him up in front of his friends.

“What are you doing to my _friend_?” Jimin’s eyes are glued to the older boy.

“N-nothing,” Chanyeol says too quickly as he backs away from the whimpering child. “Come on guys, this kid’s no fun anyway,” and at Chanyeol's command the group walks away.

Jungkook is sitting on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Taehyung races to the boy’s side. “Kookie, are you okay? Are you hurt? Want us to take you home?” He showers the youngster with questions.

But the only answer he receives are tiny hands wrapping around his neck, pulling Taehyung close. The child drops his head on Taehyung’s neck and begins to cry harder. Jimin sits on the other side of the boy and starts patting Jungkook’s back.

“It’s okay, they'll never do that again. Taehyung and I have your back, all right? We’ll take care of you.”

Jungkook sits up and wipes the tears from his eyes.

“You promise?" the boy hiccups.

Jimin and Taehyung laugh. The kid's adorable.

At five and seven they become the best of friends.

 

 

  **AGES 15 & 17**

“Jimin-ah, hurry the hell up,” Taehyung snickers as the words leave Jungkook’s mouth.

“Yah! Be nice. Jimin's your hyung, you brat,” Taehyung says in between laughter as Jimin emerges from his house and immediately grabs Jungkook into a headlock.

“Yah! I'm two years older than you, kid,” Jimin replies as he drags Jungkook’s head further down.

“Yeah, but you’re like two feet shorter,’ the youngster says, laughing.

“I am not!” Jimin exclaims and lets Jungkook go.

“I know, but it’s so much fun to say,” Jungkook’s eyes are sparkling, with held in mischief.

Jimin knows that Jungkook knows how sensitive he's about his height, but he also knows the younger boy can’t help it. Jungkook loves to see him flustered and embarrassed and he often asks Jimin how he ended up with the reputation of the school's bad boy, "seeing as how you're such a softie." Jimin normally fakes hurt at the word "softie" but deep down he loves it. Not that the kid’s complaining, Jimin knows his reputation affords Jungkook and Taehyung certain rights and freedoom. Freedoms that they're all grateful for.

It’s Saturday, and they're off to their favorite spot - the local PC bang. Video games and eating tteokbokki, in the boys' humble opinion, should be a national pastime.

Taehyung tags Jungkook as he runs past the other two, “Race you, last one there pays for lunch.”

With that, they take off laughing and running, each trying to be the first to arrive. The day is carefree and filled with animated laughter and teasing. Their friendship makes interaction easy, and they don’t even need words to communicate; they are three but move as one. Taehyung and Jungkook laugh at the pout on Jimin’s face as he pays the street ahjumma for the tteokbokki.

“Stop pouting,” Taehyung says as he pokes the Jimin’s cheek. “You lost fair and square. Run faster next time.” On impulse Taehyung leans in surprising Jimin by kissing the cheek he had poked with his finger.

“There, better now?” Taehyung asks teasingly.

Jimin looks at the boy in surprise, not because Taehyung kissed him, the boy had always been overly touchy feely. What surprised him was the fact that maybe, just maybe, he did feel better.

“Nope,” he lies, because he shouldn’t say yes. “But next time, when I win the race, I am gonna make you each buy me lunch. Then I'll feel better,” he says as he flicks the boy in the forehead.

Taehyung’s laughter fills Jimin’s gut, and he likes the way it tickles. It isn’t just Taehyung that affects the eldest of the three, Jungkook’s smile has been known to keep him awake at night as well. He is not sure what any of the emotions mean, and he doesn’t take the time to dwell on it too much. They’re close, at times closer than close, and he loves them both more than life itself.

At fifteen and seventeen they are closer than close.

 

 

**AGES 27 & 25**

“Jimin open the fucking door.” Taehyung’s voice is a slurred mixture of worry and anger.

The eldest has been MIA for the last two months, and the two younger men have had enough. Which is why they're currently banging at Jimin’s door at three in the morning, because they miss him and are finding it hard to function without him around. They have been friends forever, and they can’t understand why the eldest is no longer around, without any warning.

Anger, hurt, and sadness has lead to their current position at Jimin’s door. That and perhaps the large amounts of alcohol they'd consumed two hours prior. The door opens, and the two nearly fall through the frame.

“What the hell is wrong with both of you?” Jimin’s voice is hard and tired and had the two youngsters been more coherent they may have heard the sadness there as well.

“Jiminnie!” The boys yell in unison, forgetting their anger at the sight of the older man.

Jimin looks beautiful, with messy hair and rumpled sleeping clothes, and Taehyung’s heart aches because he’s missed him so badly, and once again, without any thought, he touches.

Taehyung throws his arms around the man and pulls Jimin close, eliminating any space between them. Jungkook follows soon after, crashing into the two and squeezing himself in between the two older boys.

 

*****

Warmth and comfort flood Jimin’s soul, but so do pain and hurt. He feels more than friendship; he wants to be more than friends. He pushes the boys off. He can’t be around them.

“You need to go,” his voice breaks.

This time the younger men don’t miss the pain in the tone, and it seems as though something about the sound sobers them up.

“Jimin, why?” Taehyung asks, tears burning pooling at the corner of his eyes.

“Because, because-” the Jimin can’t say. He's not sure how to put it into words. “I'm tired, it’s three in the morning, and you’re both drunk.” It’s not the truth, but it's not a lie either.

“Fine,” Jungkook speaks up. “You’re right, it’s late, and we're a little inebriated. So we won’t be talking now, but we won’t be leaving either. Taehyung and I are spending the night, hyung. You can say no if you want, but it won’t matter because unless you physically lift us both and put us out, we're staying,” the youngest says as he walks into the man’s bedroom, shedding his jacket and pants on the way.

Jimin turns towards Taehyung; he has no words, and he can’t tell them to leave. Well he could, but he doesn’t want to. He misses them too, so much that it hurts to breathe at times, but it hurts to be around them too. He has no fight left, so he lets Taehyung pull him towards his room.

Taehyung pushes him onto the bed  once inside, next to an already passed out Jungkook. He scoots close to the boy and closes his eyes so as not to watch Taehyung undress. His action doesn’t help since he's now wrapped up in the warmth and heat radiating from a sleeping Jungkook, who turned around to snuggle into his side instinctively the moment he lands on the bed next to him.

“Scoot over a bit Jiminnie,” Taehyung's sounds sleepy as he bends down to turn off the lamp.

Jimin feels the bed dip as the man’s weight hits it, and he moves closer to Jungkook to make room for Taehyung. When the second youngest curls into his other side, Jimin can’t help the mixture of euphoria and pain that trickles into his core. This moment is everything he wants, and everything he knows he’ll never have. A tear makes its way down his face.

“Don’t cry hyung,” Taehyung’s voice startles him.

“How do you know I am crying?” Jimin whispers in the darkness.

“I can feel it on my face.” Taehyung's breath tickles as it hits his skin. “Don’t cry Jimin, we’ll figure it out. The three of us together. Just please stop shutting us out, We can’t breathe without you.”

It’s the last thing Taehyung says before Jimin hears even breathing that signals that the man has fallen asleep. However, it's what Jimin needs to hear. They can’t breathe without him either. He lets the warmth of the statement engulf him, and it's enough for now.

At twenty-seven and twenty-five, they discover they're each other’s air.

  


 

****A/N****

Come visit [here](lulublu1014.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm moving all my Taehyung centric one-shot stories to the Taehyung ship-page. If you've read this already, it's been edited. so feel free to peruse again.


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